The most influential Black Woman in my life was Susie Watkins. Don’t Google her, you won’t find her. She was not an author, activist, professor, politician or artist. She was everything and more.
My mother’s parents were born in New York City, Grandma 1904, Grandpa 1902. Grandpa’s best friend and partner in trouble (their words, not mine) was Grandma’s brother, Alfred. According to the story told to us kids, Grandpa hung around the apartment until he convinced Grandma to marry him. And she did, in 1924. Grandpa and Uncle Alfred continued to “run around” together and had wonderful stories for their grandkids. My favorite was how they would sneak onto the East River Ferry, jump off the boat and swim back to shore. Drove the helmsman crazy! My mother, Jersey Jacky, was born in 1929, and in 1931 my grandparents had the opportunity to buy a hardware store in Jersey City. Still feeling the effects of the depression, they took the chance and went into business on Jewett Avenue in Jersey City, also known as the “black section” of the city. They rented an apartment nearby and began their new life.
My Grandmother, with her 8th grade education, wanted to be a working woman. She taught herself accounting and soon became the bookkeeper for the store. She would bring my mother to work with her everyday and my grandparents took turns helping customers and watching my mom. But my Grandmother wanted more. She became friends with the lawyer who helped them buy the store and presented her plan. He was willing to take a chance. They formed a partnership and began to invest in real estate. Grandpa ran the store and Grandma was the brains behind the scenes. Her new business kept her busy. She needed help.
A woman named Susie would often come to the store to buy cleaning supplies. Susie would always stop and play with my mother and bring her treats to eat. My grandmother befriended her and the rest was history. Susie Watkins became my mothers caregiver and housekeeper.
Susie Clay was born in Virginia in 1909. She was 3 generations away from her enslaved relatives; 1864 slavery was abolished in Virginia. Susie married Fred Watkins when she was 16 and had her first baby at 17. Three years later she had her second child and lost her husband. She was a single mother of two and widowed at the age of 20. My research on Ancestry.com and the Register of Deeds records revealed that Susie lived in Virginia and Connecticut before making Jersey City home where she had family to help with her children. Susie dropped out of school early but she could read and was so smart. When Susie came to work for my Grandmother, my mother was three and so was Susie’s daughter Pecolia. My mom and Pecolia became fast friends as they entered school together.
Susie raised my mom. One of my mom’s fondest memories was when Susie took her to church. My mom had never been to church before and didn’t know what to expect. This was her first exposure to Gospel Music. It became a lifelong love for my mom and influenced her musical taste. As my mom became less dependent on Susie, Grandma kept Susie on as her housekeeper. My mom got married and started a family and when I was five we moved to a multi-family house; Grandparents had the first floor and we lived above on the second and third floors. Susie would come 3 times a week and loved to spend time with me and my sisters. She called us “Baaaby” with a slight southern accent. We were Susie’s girls! If we were sick she would come sit with us. If we were bad, she would let us know and when she caught us sneaking boys into the house she gave us a “talkin to.”
When I came home for winter break from college, Susie was there to greet me. I remember giving her a big hug and thinking how small she had gotten. The truth was I had grown. I wasn’t her baby anymore, but that didn’t stop her from calling me baby. In 1979 my grandparents and parents decided they had enough of the cold winters and it was time to retire to Florida. I was home when they said goodbye to Susie after 48 years. My mother and Grandmother said goodbye to Susie inside, it was too emotional for them to watch her leave. I was outside with Grandpa when Susie came to give him a last hug and say goodbye. My Grandpa was crying. They told each other to take care of themselves and then Susie walked up the hill to take the city bus home for the last time.
What I didn’t know is that my Grandmother was helping Susie save money for years and taught her how to invest in real estate. Susie owned property, she was a landlord. She didn’t need to come to our house, but she did, three times a week. She had so much love to give. She taught me how to be kind and generous. She taught me how to laugh when I was feeling down. She taught me that family is more than kin and she taught me how to say Baaaby! The most influential Black Woman in my life was Susie Watkins.
Penny and her family moved to Chapel Hill in 1998. She soon joined the Town of Chapel Hill’s Telecommunications and Technology advisory board and was appointed by the town to the OWASA board of directors where she served 6 years and held the Vice Chair position. In 2009 she ran and was elected to the town council in Chapel Hill, and in 2012 ran and was elected to the BOCC where she served 8 years, the last two as chair of the board. Penny owns and operates a personal chef and catering company and has been published in Cary Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, INDY Week, Southern Neighbor and News14. She lives in Carrboro with her mom Jersey Jacky. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram
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